Damn those people spending money on education, health and fresh food! Don't they know they are ruining the economy?? Commentators are correct that it would be political suicide but it should be obvious to even the most dim person that putting a GST on fresh food would cost the country more in the long run as the price would go up, less people would buy it and people health would deteriorate thus bumping the health budget further.It's not often i agree with the greens but the facts are undeniable, the GST affects the poor the most and it is a bad tax.
Greens want the MRRT to be hiked to 45% so that the extra proceeds can be given to those on Newstart or to education (Christine Milne). Spose they could always close down the Climate Change department and take it's predicted $1,551,087,000 of appropriations and spend that on Newstart people or education. But that's probably not the way things work.
Doncha know that saving the environment by reducing global emissions by 0.1% is far more important that silly things like health and education This is why the Chinese/Indians/etc are so evil by selfishly prioritising silly things like living standards for the poverty stricken over the environment.
Unbelievable. These "experts" are over charging and ripping us left right and centre and it's still not enough for them! Wasn't all that extra cigarette tax revenue good enough? Maybe they could target fast food joints instead of raising the GST on everything. Let the junk food addicted guys pay their share instead of punishing everyone. Grhhh.
They also want gold added to the list of minerals that the MMRT affects. Been hearing reports also they want to change the way alcohol is taxed with cask wine going up to $27 per 4 litre cask.If that happens then many people on newstart will be screaming even harder for a hike in the rate!
I wouldn't be opposed to an increase in GST (Including food) as long as there was a correspondingly large drop in personal taxation. My view is GST penalises consumption, whereas income tax penalises production.
Nick Greiner is not an "expert" in anything. He's an ex-premier who now earns big bucks as a director-for-hire and occasionally someone is stupid enough to ask him about public policy. He wasn't asked about the rate of GST but he obviously took this as a chance to pontificate out loud anyway. Kindly p*** off Mr Greiner, and you can take your Sydney transport plan and your GST report with you.
Just wealth redistribution in another guise. "Raise GST, deliver compensation". So a tax hike followed by more handouts to lower socio-economic groups to compensate for the tax hike, paid for by the tax hike. "Equality" they call it. How far does it go before everyone simply has their pay channeled directly to the ATO, and we all get little smart cards (red in colour of course) preloaded with an allowance for food, petrol, doctors visits etc. Boiling the frog. "Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." - Alexis de Tocqueville
The irony is that any drop in GST revenue is a symptom of a drop in consumption, which in turn is a result of an impoverished middle class trying to save. Further increasing the cost of living with taxing food and increasing the GST tax rate is not in the interests of the people already struggling under crazy levels of household debt. But what do you expect from career politicians who ride you every second of every day for all you are worth and give cushy jobs to crony consultants? A breathing tax and an eating tax! When they figure out a way to tax you for sleeping they will do that too.
USA but the principle is the same http://www.theblaze.com/stories/mar...t-going-to-believe-how-much-shes-paid-so-far/ Eyepopper moment:
Senator Wong - "Without change and on current settings these factors will lead to a sustained period of fiscal imbalance" I have a simple solution. Just. Spend. Less.
Great way to stimulate a flagging economy, tax it harder and slow it down even more. Is there some exam that you have to take to prove that you are clinically stupid before you are allowed to become a politician?
Not sure if my memory serves me correctly. But wasn't there a political promise that the 10% GST rate would NEVER be increased. I think this was when/before it was introduced.
Agreed he's in good company though, most of the labor front bench are in portfolios that are not there speciality
There was no promise that it wouldn't go up, the promise is that it wouldn't go up unless all states and territories and the feds agree
